


A Night With You

by Mariyekos



Series: A Night With You [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, One Night Stands, Spoilers for Seteth's true identity, Stripping, There's no described sex so this could maybe be T but I wanted to be safe, except I can't write smut so you just get the lead up and fallout
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-08 10:35:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21474607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mariyekos/pseuds/Mariyekos
Summary: The first time Manuela asked Seteth if he’d like to sleep with her, he froze. It was only after Manuela burst out laughing, talking about the “absolutely hilarious look on his face” that he realized she was joking.The next time Manuela asked Seteth if he’d like to sleep with her, it was more of an offer than a request. He didn't take her up on it.The third time Manuela asked Seteth if he’d liked to sleep with her came after a mission gone wrong.The third time, Seteth accepted.
Relationships: Manuela Casagranda/Seteth
Series: A Night With You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1662940
Comments: 7
Kudos: 63





	A Night With You

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a tweet by fyreemblem on twitter saying Manuela and Seteth had a one night stand that I totally got behind way harder and faster than I probably should have. I had initially wanted to write a crack fic based on something I'll mention in the end notes, but after I got 1,000 words in I realized that it was way too deep for that, so here's a much more serious/touching fic instead. By the way, this takes place after Seteth has come to the monastery but before Flayn shows up, so I mention her by her true name. I hope you enjoy!

The first time Manuela asked Seteth if he’d like to sleep with her, he froze. They’d only known each other for two months. They only spoke in faculty meetings, and the occasional time they passed each other in the hall. Even that didn’t last long.

It was only after Manuela burst out laughing, talking about the “absolutely hilarious look on his face” that he realized she was joking.

He probably should’ve realized it sooner.

But he hadn’t, and as soon as the request left her mouth his head began to spin, wondering what he’d done to seduce her, what he could have possibly done to give her the idea that he was interested in her. During their meetings, he’d leaned over her shoulder a few times to point out something of note on the pages in front of her. Once or twice, his sleeve had even brushed against her bare shoulder. There was one situation in which he’d carried someone from the wyvern keep after they’d been caught off guard by an extended wing, and had quite a bit of contact with Manuela’s hands and arms as he handed the injured student off. Had it been the one night he’d complimented her eye shadow, because Rhea had told him to be kinder to the professors and he’d mentioned the only thing about her that looked different that day?

No. It had been none of those things. The question came from Manuela’s own desire for amusement, and Seteth didn’t share in the feeling as the blush faded from his face, Manuela doubled over in gut-twisting laughter, eyes closed tight and surrounded by wrinkled skin it brought about, one carefully manicured hand trying to cover her laughs as the other clenched her side for dear life.

Seteth stared at her for a good twenty seconds, waiting for a break in the laughter. It never came, so he merely sighed and wished her a good day, walking back to his office. He had better things to do. Like looking over finance reports for the monastery. 

...which was only really better because they didn’t laugh at him. Otherwise, Manuela was probably better company.

They did not sleep together that night, and Seteth scolded himself when his mind drifted back to the request before he went to sleep.

* * *

The next time Manuela asked Seteth if he’d like to sleep with her, it was more of an offer than a request.

“Hey big fella,” she’d slurred, smile widened by alcohol and one arm slung over Seteth’s shoulders. “What do you say you join me on my way back to my room? You wear all those robes to cover it up, but I can tell you’re no scrawny guy under all that. I’d love to strip you down and see for myself, though. And I’m sure we’d both have fun doing it.”

Seteth choked on the cocktail he was drinking, head swinging over to Manuela’s direction. He stared at her, her cheeks red, smile a bit lopsided, eyes drooping.

It took him a second to realize how drunk she was, as he spluttered trying to catch his breath.

His alcohol tolerance was higher than normal humans’, and he’d been paying so little attention to what was going on that he’d allowed Manuela to get far more drunk than a good friend should have allowed. He never counted the number of drinks he had because it was impossible to get drunk off of normal alcohol before his stomach was full and he couldn’t drink anymore, so he hadn’t counted Manuela’s either. That was a mistake.

He took a deep breath. “I apologize, Manuela, but I cannot take you up on that offer.”

“What?!” She shouted, abruptly standing up and shoving her stool back. Several of the patrons of the bar they were at turned to pay attention to the commotion, watching as Manuela stumbled and Seteth shot to his feet to catch her, pulling her into his chest to stabilize her.

Oh, wouldn’t it be fun explaining to Rhea why the right hand of the archbishop and one of the esteemed professors of the Officer’s Academy were witnessed causing a scene at some random bar in the town adjacent to the monastery. He never should’ve agreed to Manuela’s request to go there together. He should’ve just bought the liquor himself and drank it together in one of their rooms.

“Please calm down, Manuela,” Seteth whispered into her ear, pressing her head to his collar. “I think you have had enough to drink, so I will be taking you back to your room now, if you would please follow me." He paused for a moment, before emphasizing his words. "Just taking you back. Nothing more.”

Manuela was silent for a moment. Then, quietly: “Okay.”

Seteth blinked a few times. “Okay," he repeated.

Manuela pulled back a little, looking him in the eyes. Her anger seemed to have melted away. “Okay.”

He was surprised at how easily she’d complied. He thought she would’ve fought him a bit more, to be quite honest. But he was glad for the submission and accepted it without further prodding.

A quick apology to the bartender for the scene and a few gold to pay for their drinks and more, and Seteth started to pull away from the bar. 

He stopped when Manuela fell forward onto his arm, gripping onto his shoulder for dear life in what appeared to be an attempt not to faceplant.

“Are you alright?” he asked, face contorted with concern.

Manuela coughed. “I, uh, think I might have twisted my ankle standing up a little bit ago.”

Seteth’s eyes drifted down to her feet, to find that yes, one of her ankles did appear to be twisted. Really, did she have to wear such high heels everywhere she went? They were such a danger. 

Unfortunately, unlike his daughter, Seteth was no healer. If the injury was more than just a twist or sprain it would need to be set before healing magic was used, lest he do further damage, and Seteth wasn’t confident in his ability to determine whether that was the case in such a crowded, dimly lit bar. So with a sigh he kneeled down, putting one arm under her legs and the other around her shoulders, lifting her in a bridal carry.

“Do not get used to this,” he chided, walking out of the bar to at least a dozen wide-eyed stares. “I am only doing this because you are injured, and it would be rude of me to force you to walk on a twisted ankle that I caused.”

“Oh, don’t blame yourself,” Manuela responded, voice low. She sounded sad. “It’s my fault. I always mess things up, now don’t I? Good old Manuela, breaker of hearts, loser of all chances at actually befriending or romancing someone.”

Seteth frowned. “Manuela, please don’t put yourself down like that. It was a small accident. Such things happen to everyone.”

Manuela chuckled, though the noise still held a twinge of melancholy. “Even to you?”

Seteth nodded, though with the way Manuela stared at her hands he doubted she noticed. “Even to me. I’m sure Ceth- I am sure anyone who has known me for long enough could give you plenty of stories about embarrassing mishaps I have committed?”

This time Manuela’s chuckles were genuine, full of the joy and amusement he was used to. It sparked a little something in his heart. “Oh really? Then tomorrow I’ll be sure to run up to Archbishop Rhea with a pen and paper, ready to get all sorts of juicy blackmail on you!” Then, she rolled her injured ankle a bit, wincing at the motion. “Or maybe not run. But I’ll find some way to get the gossip out of her.”

Seteth blanched. “Please do not do that.”

Manuela scoffed. “Oh, all right. But only because you asked nicely.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

When Seteth dropped Manuela off in her room, the woman looking at her ankle and deciding it could wait until morning, he tucked her into bed with the tenderness he had only ever given two other people.

They did not sleep together that night. Seteth did think of Manuela as he walked off to bed, but only in hopes of a swift recovery, nothing more.

* * *

The third time Manuela asked Seteth if he’d liked to sleep with her came after a mission gone wrong. 

Her class had been sent to deal with bandits just outside the monastery’s walls, a routine mission that should have been completed in only an hour’s time. But before the last bandit could be slain, two demonic beasts appeared out of the brush, stealing the kill and maiming a student before anybody could react. Manuela spent the next several minutes in a flurry, doing her best to cast physics toward the student no one could get close enough to rescue while directing the students who could still move to flee. It was a complete mess when Seteth arrived, trying to survey the rapidly worsening scene for surviving students caught behind the beasts. Seteth had just come back from a mission of his own when Manuela’s only mounted student had nearly barrelled into the gate, screaming his head off about demonic beasts and his classmates being injured or dead. Seteth then set off without a second thought, and as his spear pierced the skull of a demonic beast that was about to cleave the head from a young student cowering against a tree, he knew he’d left not a moment too soon.

By some miracle of the Goddess, no students died that day. One, the unfortunate boy who had been caught by surprise when the beasts first came out, did nearly lose a leg. As it was, there was a chance he might never be able to move it on his own again. But it did not need to be amputated, and for that Seteth was thankful. The look on Manuela’s face when she realized the damage was crushing. Had the boy lost the limb, or had he died… He did not want to imagine the expression she would have made after that. 

There was also the boy’s future to consider, and his family. He was some second son of a minor Empire noble, and Seteth would have to send a letter to the boy’s family soon enough. But for the moment, he stayed by Manuela’s side, watching as she walked from bed to bed, checking over her injured students with tears in her eyes that she refused to let fall.

“This wasn’t your fault,” Seteth whispered from his behind Manuela’s right shoulder watching her face as she stood over the Empire boy. Her lip quivered, and she bit it to stop it from moving. Seteth placed a hand on her shoulder. “Manuela. Listen to me. This was not your fault. We couldn’t have possibly forseen a demonic beast attack. It is only thanks to your quick thinking that only three students were hurt, and that this one survived. To be able to direct your students to safety while both casting physics to save the lives of the injured and conjuring spells to distract and damage the beasts is a feat that very few could accomplish. So please don’t blame yourself. Instead, focus on the lives that you saved. Everything else is secondary.”

Manuela took in a deep breath. She tried to say something, but ended up choking instead. 

Seteth waited, giving her time to collect herself.

“What will I tell his family?”

“Nothing, if you do not want to,” Seteth replied. “I will take care of that. Besides, you saved his life. What is there to say?”

“I could say that my stupid blindness to the world around us caused this kid to lose all use of his right leg, and that he’ll never be able to walk properly again, making him just about useless to his family.”

“Manuela, we do not know that.”

“But I already told you! Hardly anyone fully recovers after an injury like this-”

“ _ Hardly  _ anyone. But not everyone. There is still a chance, Manuela. So don’t berate yourself for destroying a future that may yet exist.” He paused for a moment, trying to think of something motivational. He admittedly wasn’t the best at that sort of thing. “If you cannot push him from your mind, then instead of thinking of the harm that has been done, think of the healing that you can do. You cannot help him if you are so frenzied. Take a deep breath and calm yourself. The body can only take so much healing magic in one day, and this boy and the others have been helped all they can be. The other healers can take over for now. You, then, should go back to your room to relax a little. Get your mind off things.”

He hated to see her so sad. Distraction was not the ideal way of dealing with grief, and it certainly wasn’t a permanent solution. But for short periods of time...it was acceptable. And it was all he had to give her.

Manuela’s voice was dry as she responded, red and puffy eyes still down. “Go back to my room?" She let out a pained laugh. "Sure, why not. Do you want to join me? I bet we could have a super fun time after everything that has gone on today.”

Seteth considered it a moment. “All right.” He looked into Manuela’s eyes as he responded, even though hers were looking elsewhere.

She spun around to face him. “...What?”

“All right. Lead the way.”

“I…” Manuela’s mouth was wide open, and she gaped at him for a good twenty seconds before looking to the door where the other healers were waiting. She’d asked them to give her some time alone, so they were staying outside until Manuela gave the clear. Was she checking to see if they’d heard? “Well then. Let’s, um, get going.”

She exchanged a few short words with the nurses as they departed, telling them she wouldn’t be returning until the next day so she could gather herself a little bit. They nodded in response, wishing her well. 

Then Manuela made her way to her room, Seteth trailing behind her. It took her a moment to unlock it, fumbling with her key a little more than she normally did. She glanced back at Seteth, wordlessly gazing into his eyes for a short second before turning to push the door open. 

She seemed embarrassed at the state of her room, pushing aside some dirty laundry and blushing at the dirty dresses, worn bras, and two empty bottles of wine lying on the floor, among other things. 

“I’ve seen your room before,” Seteth said, trying to ease Manuela’s worries. He began to remove his boots.

“When I was drunk,” Manuela shot back. “Not that that makes it any better…”

“We can go to my room if you would like,” Seteth replied, left boot already removed and right in his hand.

Manuela turned back around to face him, waving her hands. “No, no, that won’t be necessary. I’m...frankly I’m still a little bit in shock that you actually agreed to this. Are you sure you want to...you know.”

“Have sex?” Seteth responded, voice even, holding back a smile at the red that shot across Manuela’s cheeks. “I thought I’d made that clear.”

Manuela ran a hand through her hair. “Leave it to you to be so forward. I couldn’t decide if you would be a complete vanilla prude, or whether you’d just go for it. It looks like the second one’s the case.”

“A prude…?” Seteth felt a blush similar to Manuela’s creeping up his own face. “I’ll have you know I’m not some inexperienced vanilla-” He quickly cut himself off. But it was too late, he’d already exposed himself.

“Oh?” Manuela hummed, a smile creeping up her face. “Are you telling me our dear Seteth, sweet little assistant to the archbishop, has not only had sex before, but likes it naughty?”

“That is not-” Seteth’s voice betrayed him, cracking as it increased much higher in pitch than he’d intended.

“You know what. Let’s stay right here then. I don’t know if I’m ready for whatever stuff you keep in your room. I know what I like, and I’ve got it right here. So let’s just stick with that, okay?” Manuela winked, and began clearing her bed of stray pieces of clothing and pieces of paper. He noticed both lesson plans and sheet music. 

He coughed a few times, trying to think of a good response. He didn’t  _ have _ anything back in his room. He hadn’t done anything since his wife had been alive. But how could he tell Manuela any of that without making his situation worse? It might be best to just let it be and hope she forgot about it later. He would get with her and make her feel better, and then they would go their separate ways. That was all.

He said as much to her, looking for confirmation.

“Manuela, please understand that I am...that I am not looking for a continuous relationship. Tonight is to make you feel better, and-”

“I know,” Manuela rushed, cutting him off. The bed was clear of everything but the many pillows she kept on it and the sheets. “Just for tonight, and that’s it. We forget about it in the morning. I’ve got it.” She ran a hand through her hair again, messing up the poof in the front. “Let’s not talk about that though. Let’s concentrate on the good stuff instead. Do you want a safe word?”

Seteth coughed. “I think ‘no’ shall suffice.”

Manuela nodded. “Got it. Anything you’re not comfortable with? Anything I should avoid?”

Seteth thought about it a moment. What could Manuela possibly pull out to surprise him? He couldn’t think of anything. Although- “My hair. Please do not touch or attempt to move my hair or head. You may touch my face if you wish, but nothing beyond that.” He couldn't have her seeing his ears, after all. That would raise questions that, even if he did not answer, he could not afford.

She raised an eyebrow, curious. “Can’t say I  _ haven’t _ heard that one before, but that’s not something I expected from you. Normally I get that one from people who have places to go, or who've loaded their hair with gel and clips or something. But that’s fine with me. I have nothing to say for right now, so I’ll let you know if anything comes up as we go.”

Seteth nodded, coughing again.

Manuela chuckled. “You were so into it earlier! Are you having second thoughts?”

“No,” Seteth replied much too hastily. He began to unbutton his collar. “It has just been a while.”

Manuela spluttered. “A while? Just how young  _ were _ you when you were all popular with the ladies?”

“I would prefer to focus on you, rather than my past bedmates, for the moment.”

“Ah, yeah. I’d probably like that too.”

She kicked off her heels with ease, shrugging off her shawl a moment later. Next she shifted her dress aside, unstrapping the daggers from her ankle. In the meantime, Seteth had only just finished unbuttoning his tunic, pulling it off to reveal the undershirt beneath.

Manuela eyed him carefully for a moment. Then walked to the corner of her room, where two mirrors were positioned. He realized they were angled toward each other in such a way that she could see her back in one. When she reached for the strings that held her corset together, Seteth walked up to her back, placing his hands over her own.

“Would you like some help?” he offered.

Manuela blinked. “Oh. That would be lovely, thank you.”

Seteth moved slowly, unlacing the corset with much more care than the reverse appeared to have been done with. Her shawl hid the way the ribbon had been put through the back so you couldn’t tell how haphazardly it had been done, but with the way it was, Seteth found it a miracle it stayed on. Then again, he was hardly an expert on corsets. They hadn’t been in fashion when his wife was alive, and Cethleann hadn’t ever cared for them during the few times they’d been in fashion while she was awake.

He briefly apologized to her, sleeping away beneath the monastery in a place Rhea assured her was safe. He’d told her her mother would be his only love, and yet now he was…

It was just one night though. This was not romantic love. This was just platonic love - a friend doing a favor for a friend. He was cheering Manuela up. He was not trying to convince her to become Cethleann’s new mother.

When he finished unlacing the corset, Manuela released the golden clasp that attached her dress to her choker and slid the fabric off her body. A moment later her undergarments joined the dress on the floor. 

She was completely nude as she stood in front of the mirror, back against Seteth and chin held high.

She smiled at the mirror, gazing at Seteth’s eyes through his reflection.

“Now then. My dear Seteth, I do believe you’re a bit overdressed for the occasion. You don’t mind if I remedy that, do you?”

“Not at all.”

Manuela’s grin widened as she turned around, pulling his undershirt over his head and pushing his arms up to do so. He readily complied. 

She let out a whistle, taking a step back once she had done so.

“When I first saw you, I figured you were some sort of magic user, you know. Assistant to the archbishop sounds like a fairly dainty title, after all. Then I saw you on a wyvern, swinging around a silver lance like it was nothing, and rethought my initial opinion to make you a bit bulkier. But looking at you now…” She traced the lines of his abs, making Seteth shiver. “I guess I’ll have to rethink my opinion again. You’re absolutely ripped.” 

A soft poke of a long nail on one of his pecs made Seteth twitch, earning a chuckle from Manuela. “If this is what you look like up top, I can’t wait to see what you look like down below.” She then dropped down, unlacing the tie on his trousers.

Seteth’s breath caught in his throat. “Really Manuela.”

“What?” she asked, pausing her fingers for just a moment before continuing. “You’re a wyvern rider. You have to have a pretty good grip to stay on one of those things, especially given the fancy swoops you do in the air. Don’t think I didn’t see those today. That means your thighs have to be wonderfully built. I can already feel them through your pants, after all. Not to mention…”

Another poke, this time in a more delicate area. Seteth let out an undignified squeak.

Manuela giggled again, but didn’t comment. She focused instead on pulling down Seteth’s trousers and underclothes, letting out another whistle once she’d done so.

“Wow.” She stared at his groin as she spoke, and Seteth could feel her breath hit his skin. “Not a disappointment at all. You really do hide a lot under those robes.”

Seteth’s voice was strained as he spoke, kicking his pants and underclothes off the rest of the way. “Can we please not talk about that anymore? I would rather get things over with.”

Manuela stood, frowning. “Get things over with.”

“Begin, I mean. I would like to begin.”

Maneula smiled, pulling him over to the bed. “That, I can agree with.”

They slept together that night, and oh did Seteth feel more relaxed and happier than he had in ages. When he crept back to his room after she fell asleep that night, after somehow managing to clean Manuela’s room without waking the woman, his thoughts were filled with her face and her body as he crawled into his own bed. That night, he could not bring himself to be ashamed.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's chapter one, written all today. It's getting late and I have class in the morning so that's all for today, but I do plan to write a follow up chapter where I go into how Seteth and Manuela interact with each other after this. It should be out before the end of the week if all goes well!
> 
> As for the crack scene, this was it (and please note that this does not happen in the canon of this fic):
> 
> Manuela, in the middle of sex: oh, Sothis, that feels good!  
Seteth freezing: what  
Manuela: Oh Sothis, that feels-...you stopped. Why did you stop?  
Seteth, still frozen: Please never say that again  
Manuela: Say what? Oh, "Sothis?" What, does that offend you as a church boy? Or does it get you off-  
Seteth: That could not possibly be further from the truth please never say that again or I will get up and walk away right now.  
Manuela: Uh, all right. How about Seiros?  
Seteth: not that either  
Manuela: Or C-  
Seteth. None of the Saints. Let's just avoid them all.  
Manuela:...alrighty then. "Oh fuck" it is then. Weirdo.
> 
> Because think about it. Sothis is Seteth's mom, and how weird would it be if your partner started screaming out your mom's name during sex? Really, really weird. ...Sorry for that image, but that's what got me to write this fic, so I had to include it somewhere.
> 
> Until next time, Mariyekos.


End file.
